Protection of crime victims

Protection of crime victims

The “Crime Victim Protection Act” was enacted on October 1, 1998. This office has set up a review board to study compensations made to crime victims according to the “Major Implementation Points for the Establishment of Review Board for Crime Victim Compensation.” The Board has appointed the judge of the Fuchien Kinmen District Court, the director of the civil administration bureau, the administrator of the Kinmen County Hospital, the assistant director of the Kinmen County Police Bureau, chief prosecutors, prosecutors, and probation officers to serve as the members of this Board. At the same time, it also assigned the chief secretary to be the executive secretary, with the clerks and the recorders as members. From October 1998, the review board meets every Friday of the fourth week of each month to review related application cases.

On April 1, 1999, this office established the Fuchien Kinmen branch of the Association for the Protection of Crime Victims. The chief prosecutor will serve as the director of the association, with chief secretary Sun Guo-tsuey, accounting director Chuang Chu-hsia, and clerk Huang Ching-huang as members. Li Tzh-ring, Wang Yi-sheng, Lu Rong-ping, Lu ai-hwa, Chuang Shuey-tchih, Lin Shuey-lui, Hong Song-po, Hsu Ching-chu, Hsueh Fang-sheng, Li Tseng-wang have also been appointed as protection volunteers to help carry out the tasks designated by the association.

To enhance professional knowledge, making it more convenient to carry out crime victim compensation work, this office is working with the Fuchien High Court to hold symposium, inviting the head of the protection program of the Ministry of Justice to deliver a lecture. In addition, the 1st and 2nd Crime Victim Protection Week had been widely promoted, allowing the public to know the government’s implementation of these beneficial measures.

Good Social Welfare, good peace and order: Kinmen sees very few major criminal cases

The Crime Victim Protection Act has been implemented for eight years now. Through the constant promotional efforts of the Kinmen District Prosecutors Office and the Association for the Protection of Crime Victims, the results have been better than satisfactory. 10 cases have received compensation, with disbursed amount totaling NT$2,990,190. The Kinmen District Prosecutors Office has been able to claim damages from the people who committed the crimes amounting to NT$344,115, which went to the national coffers.

The Kinmen District Prosecutors Office said that the Crime Victim Protection Act was announced by the President on May 27, 1998 and ordered for implementation by the Executive Yuan on October 1 of that same year. According to Article 14 of the Crime Victim Protection Act, the Kinmen District Prosecutors Office set up a review board to study compensations made to crime victims. Chief prosecutor Shih Ching-hong will head this board and has appointed Kinmen County civil administration bureau director Hong Guo-cheng, social welfare bureau director Huang Ya-fen, former Kinmen County Hospital administrator Lin Ren-shin, Kinmen County police bureau deputy director Yang Hsiao-kai, and this office’s head prosecutor Liao Jiang-hsien, prosecutors His Shih-ying and Chang Han-shen, prosecutor investigator Wu Rong-ming as members. Chief Secretary Sun Guo tsuey will serve as executive secretary. The board shall review all applications for compensation and shall act accordingly.

Since its inception, the review board for the compensation of crime victims under the Kinmen District Prosecutors Office has seen very few serious crimes, given the good peace and order in the area. Because of the death penalty and the correspondingly small number of victims, as well as excellent social welfare and maximization of the mediation function, there are very few applications for compensation. However, through the constant promotional efforts of the Kinmen District Prosecutors Office and the Association for the Protection of Crime Victims, the results have been better than satisfactory. 10 cases have received compensation, with disbursed amount totaling NT$2,990,190. The Kinmen District Prosecutors Office has been able to claim damages from the people who committed the crimes amounting to NT$344,115, which went to the national coffers.

To promote crime victim protection tasks, the Ministry of Justice especially established a Kinmen Branch of the Association for the Protection of Crime Victims, appointing passionate social activist Li Tzh-rong as director, with Yen Dah-ren, Oung Ding-wei, Li Wen-shuan, Lin Ting-shuan, Yao Ching-hwa, Lin Tzh-sheng, Tsai Chin-ju, Liu Yi-fa, Yang Cheng-tien, amd Hong Wen-kwei as members. Lin shue-lui, Hsu Ching-chu, Hong Song-po, Hsueh Fang –sheng, Lui Rong-ping, Lui Ai-hwa, Wang Yi-sheng, Chuang Shue-chih, Li Tseng-wang, and Chang Guo-ting were appointed as protection volunteers. A victims protection network has been set up to aggressively promote victim protection tasks. These tasks include: assist in providing shelter for those who were harmed or injured in major accidents and have nowhere to go; help in providing medical services for those who incurred physical, emotional, and psychological injuries; assist in providing legal services; assist people in filing applications; assist in applying for emergency aid for those who do have living necessities, help victims in ensuring their right to compensation; and reach out to the victims by inquiring and visiting them. There have been 8 visitations this year; a total of NT$16,700 in sympathy funds have been distributed. Working together with the media, the office has been able to promote the Crime Victim Protection Act; activities focused on fighting election bribery, drugs, bad products, as well as promoting school regulations have been held. At the same time, activities for prison counseling and family concern have been held in cooperation with the after care protection association and the probation volunteer association; medical agencies have been contacted to assist in counseling and emotional rebuilding.

This office points out that the crime victim compensation is compensation given by the country, as mandated in the Crime Victim Protection Act, for injuries or damage sustained due to criminal acts. Compensation amounts are as follows: hospital bills incurred from injuries sustained in a criminal act may not exceed NT$400,000; funeral expenses incurred from death due to criminal acts may not exceed NT$300,000; inability to provide care because of death due to criminal act, compensation may not exceed NT$400,000; and for victims who have lost the ability to work or have added living needs, compensation may not exceed NT$1 million.

Qualifications for application: Family members qualified to apply for compensation are (in order) 1.parents, spouse, and offspring; 2.grandparents; 3. grandchildren; and 4. siblings. Time for application: Application for compensation must be submitted to the review board within 2 years from the time there is knowledge of the crime or within five years from the time the crime occurred. The address of the Review Board for the Compensation of Crime Victims of the Kinmen District Prosecutors Office is: No. 178, Minchuan Road, Kinmen County; tel. no. is 325090 or 325192; or get in touch with a judicial volunteer near you to ask for assistance.